Boy Meets Boy
by Krispy Kream
Summary: Roxas met Axel and, really, he had been doomed from the start. There was nothing abnormal about that. AU. Akuroku.


So, I guess I should post this. Because I'm pretty happy with it.

Just a warning, the grammar is going to sound ridiculous. That is because everything that would normally be a spoken line has been turned into a noun. For fun. Because I am a silly person like that.

Please note: AU. The school is based of Cal State Long Beach, though I have no clue if they have a fire program or not. Akuroku. Also, I don't own any of the characters, but I think we knew that already.

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Boy Meets Boy

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It was just a boy meeting a boy, nothing more. There had been no sparks, no magic and no feeling instantly drawn to the other. Just one boy and then another and before anyone noticed they were suddenly always together.

In fact, Roxas had spent the first four months of his college career trying to ignore the red head on the bus, telling himself not to stare, that it would be rude and sure to start trouble if anything of the other's personality could be judged by his style of hair and clothing. He didn't make the connection that the red head that had picked up and returned that twenty he had dropped in early November was the same one from the bus he rode every day. He didn't notice that it was also the same red head that had held the door open for him to the admissions office in December. He hadn't even seen the red head standing in line behind him later that month trying to buy a coffee.

Roxas never made the connection until January, when they almost ran into each other going through the door to the student union in opposite directions. Because, while Roxas may not have made the connection between all these encounters, the red head had.

"Whoa. Geez, Blondie, are you following me?"

Huh, and Roxas still couldn't make the connection at first, even while those bright green eyes bored into him. They were the kind of green that one would immediately assume were contacts, because normal eyes were just never that color, never that bright, and never shining in such a fashion. But it would be a lie to say that the eyes were the first thing he noticed because his height is what he noticed first, closely followed by his ridiculously red hair that sat in an unnaturally spiked fashion on his head. Ah yes, he finally thought, the man from the bus that I try not to stare at. The eyes didn't come until about a half an hour later.

The red head simply held the door open, which clicked with the similar incident, and finally made Roxas realize just what the other was referring to.

See you tomorrow morning was all. He let go of the door and continued walking. As Roxas remembered all the other encounters with the red head, he vaguely wondered if he should be worried about the fact that it was now going to be ten times harder not to stare at the other on the bus from now on.

Half way through his game of pool with Hayner and Pence, and those have to be contacts.

And that's how it started. That's why, whenever they would pass each other in a hallway or spot one another from the other side of the quad, they would both wave to each other, sometimes even smiling. Though the red head always did so more than Roxas. If one or the other wasn't clearly intent on getting to their destination, the red head would even ask a conversational question in passing. What class you got? or are your midterms as much of a bitch as mine? and they were always only asked in passing, and Roxas always only had time to answer and never to ask back. Smile, wave, bio it sucks and you bet they are. That was all he ever managed, and he was okay with that. Besides, he didn't actually know this man yet. He didn't really warrant more attention than Roxas gave, so it was fine.

When they started deliberately riding the bus together they finally learned each other's names. The red head was apparently called Axel, debating between a business or theater major on paper to make his educational advisor happy, but actually wondering if the school had a fire program even though he was not motivated enough to actually check for one. Roxas checked for him, and though it was run-of-the-mill and nothing to be especially proud of, there was one, and he reported his findings the next morning on the bus. Axel was grateful, and would mention his now decided major to his educational advisor as soon as he was forced into another meeting with him.

It took several weeks of conversing on the bus for them to start conversing in the halls. Another week, and Axel had invited, or rather, suggested he came to the school's band performance because he apparently had friends in it, and Roxas might as well come because don't your teachers give you extra credit for attending shit like this? Call me when you get there so we can sit together and suddenly Roxas found himself with Axel's phone number. It surprised him at first, since trying not to stare at the strange man on the bus didn't usually lead to swapping numbers, but Roxas figured that they had officially known each other for enough time to make it normal.

Roxas was introduced to the band friend as actually take the bus together Roxas, and Roxas formally met buddy from high school Demyx. Demyx was the kind of guy who assumed friendship out of acquaintance instantly, which was okay because Roxas thought he was an okay guy, and the extra company while walking across campus was appreciated.

Since they both had each other's number at that point, Axel called Roxas on a semi-regular basis. Axel always made the Demyx wants to hang out with you anyway excuse for inviting him places, and not wanting to disappoint such an emotional guy became Roxas' excuse to himself for accepting. Unless, of course, he was already hanging out with his friends, in which case he would tell Axel to apologize to Demyx for him.

When Axel invited him out without Demyx, Roxas had to wrack his brain for a reason to accept. He stuttered and stumbled over words that were trying to consent, but then, what are you, a girl? It's not like I'm asking you out, let's hang out, and Roxas discovered that Axel thought of him as an actual friend and not just as an actually take the bus together, so maybe it was time he did the same.

Hayner and Pence were annoyed that Roxas no longer seemed to have time to play pool with them anymore, which worried Roxas for a time, but they got over it quickly and simply decided on just don't be a stranger, alright? and they became little more than good acquaintances to Roxas after that. He felt like he should have felt worse about that than he did. But then Axel called and he realized why it didn't bother him.

After that it became no holds bard Roxas is our new best buddy to Axel and Demyx, which Roxas appreciated and enjoyed just about as much as the other two did. They went to only the most important basketball games but never saw a single play and joked about things that were not even happening in the stadium. They went to bars and Roxas never drank any alcohol while Demyx would drink enough to make himself mostly stupid, and Axel would only drink enough to make himself think that he looked cool. They went to cheap or free underground band concerts and Demyx and Axel had to teach Roxas how to skank and the proper procedures for when the guitar solo began. Concerts always resulted in bruises covering everyone's shins and arms, and the night Roxas returned from his first skanking lesson his mom had to know what on earth did you do to yourself? Roxas could only smile cheekily and Axel and Demyx can't dance worth crap.

Roxas let himself admit that he was having fun a lot, okay fine, all of the time. More fun than he had ever had with his other friends, which made him feel guilty and yet better at the same time. Axel and Demyx sat him down for several hours and made him listen to sample after sample of indy rock, ska and punk bands until Roxas finally decided that he rather liked ska and they made him their official air-drummer of their fake air-band so he could be the cool one that everyone liked. Roxas smiled and expertly twirled his air-sticks with his fingers.

And so it continued. Concert after game after bar after movie night after unproductive study session after air-jam session. Axel and Roxas had suddenly become inseparable, and Demyx joined in whenever he could. Axel tried to convince Roxas to move into his apartment off campus, but he only lived in Lakewood, and that was a couple hundred dollars that Roxas didn't want to burden his parents with, and he sure as hell couldn't afford. But maybe when I have money and he stayed over all the time.

So, at the rate their friendship had developed, Roxas should have expected, or predicted, every move to push it to different levels. Especially the level Roxas should not have been comfortable with. Case and point was after a basketball game, as high school as that seemed. They left the stadium in high spirits and had no idea who had won, except for Demyx who had asked a random passerby so he could run off and start a conversation with that cute blonde girl he liked. Roxas chuckled as their friend ran off and he and Axel continued to the car until Axel stopped suddenly and grabbed Roxas' arm. He jumped in surprise and turned around to see Axel's face looking down on him in almost pain it seemed, almost what are you doing to me? and confusion. Roxas turned around fully and neither of them said anything for several long moments. Axel let go of his arm and his face wavered with still more pain, still more confusion, but never mind so it must not have been very important. Roxas stared blankly for a moment before deciding not to contemplate it around Axel because then he'd realize that Roxas had noticed.

He'd realize that Roxas had noticed just what kind of connotations those looks had.

The I think Axel likes me made Demyx sputter and spill orange smoothie all over himself. You're going to give me a heart attack! and Demyx made Roxas grab him a pile of napkins so they could try to salvage his light blue, turned green, shirt. Demyx went on like nothing truly out of the ordinary had happened or been said, but Roxas didn't mention it again or try to continue because that had been answer enough and Demyx knew. That's why he made Roxas buy him another smoothie that was not orange this time.

Things continued normally for several days after that, or at least as normal as they could with Axel making those pained and confused looks in Roxas' direction every so often. Roxas tried to pretend not to notice them, but he was probably making the same faces back after awhile. He would not admit that, of course, because he was not confused, he was just waiting for Axel to do something about it. Which he never did.

After almost a month, Roxas was just fed up with waiting. They were at a five dollar concert of one of Roxas' favorite ska bands, and while the three of them were easily enjoying themselves, Roxas noticed that Axel did not kick him in the back of his knees quite so often as he usually did. While he was glad to have fewer bruises than usual, Axel blatantly avoiding him was too obvious for him to take. After the first set ended, and Demyx had disappeared to amuse himself, Roxas turned to the other with a smirk and saw Axel trying his hardest to keep an easy expression as he simply stood next to the blond and said nothing. Roxas let out an exasperated sigh.

"Why don't you just kiss me already?"

So he did. After he dragged Roxas to a dark corner away from the stage, anyway. They were sweet at first, or at least Axel's best attempt at sweet mixed in with are you serious? and I know what this means, but do you? that were asked through timid kisses rather than words for once. Roxas kissed back in response and snickered to the point when Axel final realized that they were both indeed on the same page and pushed Roxas up against the wall with a growl. The time for being timid was clearly over and neither of them paid any mind when the band came back for their second set. They only pulled apart when Axel's butt vibrated because Demyx was making the where the hell did you guys go? call. They laughed at each other and only when Demyx was in sight did Axel take his hand out from under Roxas' shirt.

That night, when Roxas finally got home, he called Axel so he could find out does this mean we're dating? and Axel hoped so, is that alright with you? So Roxas told Demyx what had happened which, made him pull out his cell phone even though Axel was still in class so he could what the hell took you so long? Geez and Axel's phone was confiscated.

They air-jammed that night and Demyx very seriously make out right now! I want some proof! and they refused but when Demyx left they did. They made a game out of kissing while Demyx wasn't looking for a week and a half until Demyx finally turned around in time to catch them and that was all the proof I needed, now was that so hard?

Roxas tried to remember when the man from the bus that I try not to stare at became my best friend who makes me more happy than I've ever been in my entire life. But then, he thinks, he is eternally grateful and stops thinking about it with a bright smile.

I'm at your house and Roxas is walking out the door before he even needs to alright.


End file.
